Developer details 77-acre annexation plan for south PTC

Wed, 08/15/2012 - 10:34amJohn Munford

A proposal to annex a 77-acre site onto the southern border of Peachtree City was detailed for the Peachtree City Planning Commission Monday night.

Southern Pines Plantation also wants to have two office buildings along Ga. Highway 74 at the intersection with Redwine Road, with the access road leading back to the subdivision. While the commission at a later date will make its recommendation, the final say on the annexation rests with the City Council.

The site is currently zoned for a mix of commercial and office uses with a combined square footage upwards of 175,000 feet.

SPP wants to be annexed in large part for access to the sewer system, and a 200-foot buffer is on the plan documents to prevent the sewer from being accessed by future developments further south on Hwy. 74, said SPP attorney David Kirk.

The site is bordered on one side by the Meade Field recreation complex and on the other by Starr’s Mill Academy day care center and the Brechin Park subdivision, both of which are located in unincorporated Fayette County.

Several commissioners cited a desire to make sure the architecture and landscape are well done to create a “gateway” into the city.

Planning Commissioner Aaron Daily said he wanted to see the “pocket parks” revised because it appeared they were identified by using otherwise unusable land. He also noted that one of the parks would go behind several residences, which is not an ideal situation.

Another issue identified by the commission would be the need for enhanced vegetation in the residential area as well as along Hwy. 74.

SPP will work on making a connection to a new tunnel underneath the highway that is near the RiteAid store. Commissioners also expressed concern about the handling of an at-grade cart crossing across Rockaway Road.

Commissioner Lynda Wojcik said she didn’t see what the major benefit was for the city if it were to grant the annexation.

Kirk suggested that the tax revenue from the property would jump to roughly $300,000 a year if the parcel is annexed.

The homes would be priced around the mid-$300,000 range, and there will be no mass grading in an effort to preserve vegetation on individual lots.